Culinary Tourism in Crete 18/5/2007 The shepherds go up on the mountains to milk their goats. There are no milking machines, not even any electricity to run them if there were! Instead, the men use highly trained dogs to round up the goats from wherever they are on the mountain, then herd them into a pen, pushing them forward so the men can grab them and milk them by hand, rapidly squirting the milk into a large can set into a concrete holder. The local cheese makers process the milk obtained from the goats. They make several kinds of fresh and aged cheeses there. The traditional way of roasting meat in Crete, is skewering the meat on spikes and resting it on stakes pounded into the ground so the fat drips away from the meat without creating flare-ups. Inside the village community centre a massive display of foods is lining the perimeter of a large room. Each woman in the village brings a different traditional dish. There are pastries made with homemade strawberry and apricot jams, tiny fried pastry pockets filled with sweet cheese, savory pockets stuffed with spinach or wild greens, pork with wild greens, cured olives, umpteen artichoke dishes, rabbit and much more. Author : Travel To Crete